Poor Man's Peat Pots

Pan of Paper Pots

After reading this great article ~ http://blog.greenhousemegastore.com/2012/04/04/garden-recommendation-peat-pots/, I wanted to try this method.
Also, from this article ~ http://blog.greenhousemegastore.com/2012/04/10/quick-tip-for-sowing-seeds/, I learned how much easier it is to fill planting containers if you moisten the potting medium first.
Not wanting to spend money on the peat pots if I didn’t have to, I decided to make some newspaper pots.  Here is how it is done…
Materials ~ newspapers, scissors, empty tin cans or drinking glasses with straight sides, and a pan of some sort to put your pots in after they are filled.
First… open the whole newspaper sheets and cut them into 4 long strips:

Newspapers, cut into long strips.

Place your can or drinking glass horizontally across the paper strip, leaving the bottom hanging out a bit and roll the paper up all the way to the end:

Beginning to wrap newspaper around the can.

 Still wrapping...

When the paper has all been wrapped around your can, then, carefully tuck the loose ends INTO the open end of the can:

Newspaper sleeve tucked into end of can.

Remove the can from the newspaper sleeve, and then insert the bottom of the can into the top of the paper pot to mash down the bottom.

Can re-inserted into newspaper pot.

Remove the can, and voila!  Your pot is complete!  Repeat with more newspaper strips and make as many as you need.

Completed Paper Pot!

Needless to say, you can make them any size you wish, large or small, and adjust the size of the strips of newspaper accordingly.
Fill your little pots with moistened planting mix, place them side-by-side, in a pan that is tall enough to come up near the top of the pots, transplant your seedlings into them and then you will water from the bottom

Cabbage and Broccoli Seedlings in our Hoop house

Newly transplanted cabbage seedlings in paper pots

As with peat pots, these little pots can be directly placed in the garden soil when it is time to take them outside.  Mine are living in our hoop house, which is covered with greenhouse plastic we bought from the Greenhouse Megastore!

I got this idea from my friend, Debbieo!  Thank you!